


The King's Smile

by DracoPendragon



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-29 03:02:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1000089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DracoPendragon/pseuds/DracoPendragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin likes it when Arthur smiles. And he likes it even more so when he discovers that he has his own way to make the king smile</p>
            </blockquote>





	The King's Smile

Seeing Arthur smile made Merlin happy. The way his eyes shone and the corners of his mouth lifted and his whole face lit up. It was beautiful and Merlin loved it.

Arthur didn't smile like that anymore, and Merlin was upset by that. He wanted to help, but didn't know how to. He'd thought about kissing Arthur, just sometimes, but that was wrong. He was right to love his king, but not romantically. Not in the way he did.

One morning when he entered Arthur's chambers to rouse the king, he noticed that the man in the bed was smiling. Not snoring, or squirming around, but resting peacefully, a bright smile gracing his face. Merlin moved closer and gently shook the king.

'Arthur? Wake up.' He moved his face closer to the other man's, and breathed out a puff of air.

Arthur recoiled at once, disgust on his face. 'Merlin, your breath stinks!'

'Sorry, sire, but I had to wake you up somehow,' replied Merlin, stepping away from the bed to go and open the curtains. 'What were you dreaming of?' he asked, looking back at the king.

'Why is it any of your business?' Arthur said by way of reply, looking at his manservant whilst shielding his eyes from the sunlight streaming in through the window.

'It's not, I was just wondering. You were smiling when I came in. You never smile anymore,' Merlin shrugged, quickly glancing at Arthur's lips before going to fetch a shirt from the cupboard. When he turned back, the king was sat staring at him from the edge of the bed, head tilted to the side.

'Are you alright, Merlin?' he asked, looking confused.

'I'm fine. I just think you should smile more.'

'Right. Well. Could you come here for a moment? I want to try something,' Arthur said, looking pointedly away from the other man.

Acquiescing, Merlin moved so he was standing in front of the king, who rose to stand. 'Close your eyes and stay still.'

Merlin did as he was told. He could feel Arthur moving closer to him, could hear the other's uneven breathing, and he was just about to open his eyes and ask Arthur if he was okay when a pair of lips encased his.

The kiss was short, and after it had finished, Merlin's eyes flickered gently open and he stepped back, looking at Arthur.

'I…' Arthur looked away and sat down. He fiddled nervously with his covers. 'I apologise, Merlin. That was improper of me. Don't worry, it shall not happen again.'

He took the shirt from where it had landed on the floor after Merlin dropped it, and tried, unsuccessfully, to put it on. After a minute of struggling, he sighed and went limp. Merlin chuckled and helped him dress properly, ignoring the way Arthur's skin warmed his fingertips. By the time they'd managed to get Arthur's head through the correct shirt hole, they were standing extremely close together.

'There you go,' whispered Merlin, moving back. He saw Arthur's bright blue eyes flick towards his mouth and stepped forward until they were kissing again. It was slow and chaste but it was the best feeling in the world.

When they pulled away, the king was flushed yet smiling, and Merlin's heart skipped a beat.

'I thought you said my breath was awful,' Merlin teased.

'Yes, well, it wasn't…' Arthur looked uncomfortable. 'Don't you have cleaning to do?' he asked eventually.

'I did it all yesterday,' Merlin grinned smugly.

'Well in that case,…' began the blond as he rattled off a list of chores for Merlin to complete, ticking them off on his fingers as he did. His manservant listened to him with a look of incredulity, and sighed when his master had finally stopped talking.

'Is that all, your Highness?' he asked begrudgingly.

'Just one more thing,' Arthur grinned. His confidence faltered slightly as he leaned in and kissed Merlin once more, short and sweet. 'Thank you.'


End file.
